Saturday, November 24, 2007

What Kind of Job Will You Be Asked to Do? A Reminder.

I like to distill things into simple ideas in order to help people see things more clearly. That is how I came up with a simple model for determining what you will be expected to do when you join a new firm.

In my way of thinking, employers ask people to do one of three tasks in a new job:

  1. Manage people who do stuff.
  2. Do stuff.
  3. Think about how things could be done better.

Most jobs have a certain amount of each as part of their description; however, the weight of the job will emphasize one component or another.

So when you are interviewing for a job where you expect to manage and the employer is spending most of their time talking about “doing stuff”, how much managing will you be doing.

If you interview for a job where you expect to be “thinking about how stuff can be done better,” and they talk about managing staff or “doing stuff”, how much planning or thinking do you think you’ll actually be doing?

Do you think you’ll be happy doing what they want you to do?

I’m not suggesting that you shouldn’t accept such a position if offered; in fact, many people will strengthen their credentials and make them stronger candidates for better firms if they do.

However, I do want you to make a conscious choice and not be surprised as so many are.

Jeff Altman
The Big Game Hunter
 Concepts in Staffing
thebiggamehunter@cisny.com

© 2007 all rights reserved.

Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter, is Managing Director with Concepts in Staffing, a New York search firm, He has successfully assisted many corporations identify management leaders and staff in many disciplines since 1971. He is a retired certified leader of the ManKind Project, a not for profit organization that assists men with life issues, and a practicing psychotherapist.

To receive a daily digest of positions emailed to you, search for openings that The Big Game Hunter is working on, to use Jeff’s free job lead search engine, Job Search Universe, to subscribe to Jeff’s free job hunting ezine, “Head Hunt Your Next Job, or his staffing ezine, “Natural Selection”, or to learn about his VIP program, go to www.jeffaltman.com.

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